Ducks have Selanne, Andersen in for Game 5, Getzlaf stays 'questionable'

ANAHEIM - Teemu Selanne will be back with the Ducks for Game 5 against Dallas while Frederik Andersen will stay between the pipes when the contentious Western Conference first-round series resumes Friday night.

"I'm excited," Selanne said. "Very excited."

The Ducks could also get captain Ryan Getzlaf back, though the club continued to say their leader was "questionable" to play even after he took the morning skate in preparation for the pivotal contest at Honda Center.

Getzlaf did not play in Game 4 due to concerns over further damage to his stitch-filled mouth and jaw area after it was aggravated during scraps with the Stars' Trevor Daley and Antoine Roussel in Game 3. The center was initially hurt in Game 1 when he was struck by a slap shot.

Hopes were raised for his availability when Getzlaf jumped on the ice Friday morning and took his usual spot with running mate Corey Perry on his right side and Nick Bonino on his left.

"We’ll see tonight," Getzlaf said. "This is part of our process that we’re going through right now. We won’t really know until game time.

"I feel good. Everything’s where we want it to be. Hopefully that continues on throughout the day."

Said Selanne: "He’s our guy here. And we need him. So it was really good to see him back."

Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau wouldn't say if Getzlaf's morning-skate appearance is an indicator that he will play.

"But it means that he was trying to see how it was," Boudreau said. "He’s questionable. And we'll just have to see how his body reacts."

The question appears to be whether Getzlaf can gain clearance to play from the Ducks' medical staff.

"It's part of the process," he said. "We had to go through some steps and stuff and this was one of them, going out this morning."

In a good-natured way, Getzlaf remained adamant about not discussing the exact nature of his injury or the extent of it.

"You guys are going to askme about 800 more questions and I’ll have the same answer," Getzlaf said. "I’m really not going to disclose what’s going on right now and I won't be able to.

"We’re just looking forward to hopefully getting in the lienup tonight and that’s kind of all I can say."

The Ducks and Stars are tied at two games apiece after Dallas grabbed the momentum by winning Games 3 and 4 at home.

"We didn’t expect this to be easy," Selanne said. "Obviously we want to turn this ship around tonight and play our best game of the series. That’s our goal."

Boudreau is sticking with the young Andersen in goal despite having playoff-tested veteran Jonas Hiller available. Andersen's play has slipped through the course of the series and struggled in Game 4, allowing Vernon Fidder's goal on his short side and getting beat clean on scores by Jamie Benn and Cody Eakin.

Referencing the fact that he didn't pull Hiller during last year's first-round loss to Detroit, Boudreau said the move isn't about showing Andersen that he continues to have confidence in him.

"I think he know I have full confidence," Boudreau said. "I started him in the playoffs so I don’t think that was an issue. I don’t think I had to go over it and say, 'Hey Freddie, I got a lot of faith in you, blah, blah, blah.

"I think that's sort of a given from the amount of time he's played this year and the amount of big games he's played in."

Boudreau said there's a "good chance" defenseman Luca Sbisa will make his debut for the Ducks this postseason. It isn't clear which defender will come out of the lineup, although indications in the skate appear that rookie Hampus Lindholm sitting may be a possibility.

"He’s got experience," Boudreau said. "He’s played in these games before. He’s can be a physical defenseman when needed. And when he's at his best, he can skate and shoot too.

"He’s had a rough year because of injuries. ... When he’s been at his best, he's a top-four defenseman. We're hoping that's going to happen tonight."

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